THA 125: Client Loyalty Programs – Do They Work?

Client Loyalty Programs – Do They Work?

We’re going to serve up a strong discussion building client loyalty through loyalty programs. My guests are lo Brian Bates, Eagle Automotive, Columbine Hills, CO, Vinnie Lucio, Co-Auto – Community Conscious Car Care, Reno, NV, and Jeff Rudnick, Pit Crew Marketing.

You’ll hear a wide-open discussion. Vinnie doesn’t have a specific loyalty card but has programs, Brian does have a loyalty card and Jeff brings his insights from a loyalty card company.

A big take-a-way for you is this: A loyalty program will not fix broken systems, processes and a weak selling system and look for every competitive edge to build a relationship with your client.

RR 443: Jill Trotta – Survey Results – The Best and Worst Metro Cities for Car Repair

Jill Trotta Best and Worst Metro Cities for Car Repair Survey

My guest is Jill Trotta. She is the Vice President for Industry Advocacy and Sales at RepairPal. We talked about the surveys that pointed out which metro cities are best for car repair. This is based on factors like average repair order, road quality, average labor rate among others.

The survey talked about the statistics and information about car repair. You will learn the best and the worst cities for repairs according to the survey. The survey also pointed out which cities are most affected by the technician shortage.

THA 111: Building New Customers

Building New Customers

David Roman from Done with Care – Auto Repair from Merium, KS and Greg Bunch from Aspen Auto Clinic from Colorado Springs and also the founder of Transformers Institute bring their A game to this discussion.

We covered a wide spectrum of strategies on customer growth and trust. We enveloped the marketing side of finding new customers and then how to complete the relationship once your service writer brought them from the phone call and into the shop.

David says that a big deception in opening a business; you think you are going to do what you are good at doing, however, you must be good at marketing; to make the phone ring. The CEO must make the phone ring or you’re going to have to spend money to hire a professional to do it.

Greg says that we must educate new clients on who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Greg wants you to Invite your new customer to talk to the tech and walk them through the findings of the inspections. He says that your customer struggles to find a trustworthy mechanic, so if you want to build a long term customer; earn their trust.

THA 110: Charging What We Are Worth

Charging What We Are Worth

We talk professional courtesy, labor rates, training, having the right value proposition for your customer so you can charge accordingly, the labor rate spread in our communities, and why you shouldn’t be afraid to charge what you are worth. You’ve invested a lot in your business and need to be paid for this. Listen to why confidence in your skills and abilities will help you charge accordingly.

With me on this Academy panel is Tom Palermo, Preferred Automotive Specialties, Philadelphia, PA and former NAPA ASE Technician of the year in 2015, David Justice, President Repair Shop Of Tomorrow, Asset Management Technology and Mark Colaw, Seymours’ Garage, San Antonio, TX and founder of Carfest.

RR 413: Jill Trotta on Pricing Transparency

Understanding Consumer Behaviour through Price Transparency

Jill Trotta Vice President, Industry Advocacy and Sales RepairPal, discusses pricing transparency and reiterates the fact that it is not going away. Every shop owner should understand this and never let this disable them in any way. If you happen to have a friend who is struggling with pricing, let them listen to this episode and it may be worthwhile for them to best understand how it works and what it means to your operation.

Jill says that millions of people visit the RepairPal site each month and the data they collect helps them understand how to make pricing transparency work for you. She also offers some survey results that, are frankly, disturbing as it relates to satisfied customers.

THA 107: Discover How To Keep Your Women Customers For Life

Discover How To Keep Your Women Customers For Life

We heard the stats that the female makes up over 50% of your customer base. That is based on certain geographies and demographics. Some are higher, some are lower. But no matter your mix you’ve got to have important tactics in place in order to create loyalty in your women customer.

We’re going to serve up a strong discussion building loyalty from your women customers. My panel includes Kim Auernheimer, Co-Owner of CS Automotive, Brentwood TN, Kathleen Jarosik, Xpertech Auto Repair, Englewood, FL, and Jonathan Ortiz, Foreign Affairs Auto, West Palm Beach, FL.

They bring their A game and serve up the important issues, from their perspective, that will help you create the right environment so you can have a long and lasting relationship with all your women customers. We talk about trust, safety, relationship, environment, and amenities among many others.

THA 106: Managing a Negative Online Review

Managing a Negative Online Review

The Academy panel will go over a 5 step process and go above and beyond by sharing their personal experiences.

So you got a “NEGATIVE” Review now what? Here is a 5 step process we are going to discuss: 1/ Two negatives don’t make a positive, 2. Find out what the heck really happened, 3. Take advantage of the learning opportunity, 4. Finalize a resolution, respond and over deliver, and 5. Review with staff and MOVE ON!

The Academy panel will go over this 5 step process and go above and beyond by sharing their personal experiences. Besides digging into these five steps we get into soliciting reviews, the four types of reviews, and sometimes a negative review can be an advertisement for your shop based on how you handle it and so much more

THA 105: Catering to the Millennial Customer

Catering to the Millennial Customer

We are talking with three millennial aftermarket successors, they are each involved in the family service business. The panel: Lauren Anderson, Victory Auto Service & Glass Minneapolis, MN, Jacquie Hower, from Zimmerman’s Automotive, Mechanicsburg, PA and Carley Paiva, Elite Auto Repair in Warwick, RI

The ladies talk social media, transparency, that millennials have no patience, ‘they should know’, their view on video marketing, and where Instagram fits among other topics.

RR 403: Lucas Underwood – Take Ownership and Learn from your Mistakes. Find Humility.

Lucas Underwood – Take Ownership and Learn from your Mistakes. Find Humility.

There are a lot of responsibilities being a business owner. You have to re-think or get advice if your policies or strategies are not working. This episode does open the discussion on self-improvement and learning from your mistakes.

Lucas Underwood is an Automotive diagnostic specialist and shop owner. He owns L & N Performance Auto Repair, Blowing Rock, NC.

We talk about supporting post-secondary education, technician training, the importance of communicating with your team, staying current with customer needs such as texting and what are his success secrets at this time in his life. Lucas is a millennial shop ower for the last 10 years. The road was not paved in gold.

THA 103: Turn Price Shopping Callers Into Customers.

Turn Phone Price Shoppers into Customers

We bring light to the service adviser/manager position as the toughest job in the company. It is very possible that your caller may not be looking for a price because they don’t know what else to ask. We talk about getting your value story told and the power of the smile among about a dozen other great lessons from this episode. It is suggested to get in your appointment making mode every time the phone rings.

On the Academy panel is Emily Sundstrom, Service Manager at Valley Auto Electric from Covington, WA and Business Coach Bill Haas, AAM from Haas Performance Consulting.

RR 392: Shop Talk 7 – The Leading Ladies

Shop Talk 7 -Leading Ladies

Judi Haglin, from Haglin Automotive, Boulder CO, Shelle Bennett, from Mike’s Kars in Gettysburg, PA and Kelli Weatherby from Accurate Automotive in Mesa, AZ.

These three ladies are members of an ATI twenty group that is called Leading Ladies. They are proud of their numbers. They are the top twenty group in performance within the ATI program. How is that for ‘strength in numbers’.

We had a really relaxed and wide open chat in the AAPEX18 Studio where we touched on the disciplines they have in their 20 group, what they believe is the secret to a successful business, finding your humility will change your world, and why the fear of sharing hold businesses back. There is plenty more especially the talk on the secret sauce.

RR 391: What Happens When a Technician Becomes a Customer for Automotive Repair.

What Happens When a Technician Becomes a Customer for Automotive Repair.

Pete Meir, Director of Training for the UBM Advanstar Automotive Group, which includes Motor Age magazine, wrote a story “When a Technician Becomes a Customer for Automotive Repair Service.” You can only imagine the implications and ramifications this implores.

When Pete needed tires for his truck he became a customer. He was not delighted with the service he was given and it drove him to write about it. He may have never written it if he had a satisfying and complete service experience. It’s tough to be in this industry and not judge your own personal experiences and standards against all others.

Training and Customer Service are the very processes that needed improvement and constant adjustment to meeting trends and everyday situations. Having this can equip a technician and service adviser in most decision making situations.

THA 095: Taking Good DVI Pictures

Taking Great DVI Pictures

Taking quality DVI pictures reflects on your brand and helps the customers builds trust. The power of demonstrating work needed and future maintenance concerns in the art of picture documentation is how we are going to do business in the future.

This wide-ranging conversation is brought to you by Scott Brown from Connie and Dicks and Diag.net, Greg Buckley from Buckley’s Auto Care, Jim Fleishman from Automotive Alley and JR Portmen from 5 Stones Media.

Videos must be included in the repertoire of good documentation and when you are in marketing mode.

RR 380: UNCOPYABLE. How To Create an Unfair Advantage Over Your Competition.

Uncopyable. How To Create an Unfair Advantage Over Your Competition

Steve Miller is best known as Kelly’s Dad and The Marketing Gunslinger. He is the best selling author, speaker, and a renowned marketing strategist. He has helped numerous organization stand out and become uncopyable against the stiffest competition available.

In this episode, we will be sharing with you all the main ingredients on how to become uncopyable. We will bring you the strategy you need to gain that advantage that your customer would be coming back to you and to you alone. Discover that unique quality that will help you stand out!

THA 092: The Extreme Value of Shop Tours

The Extreme Value of Shop Tours

Recorded live at Franks European in Las Vegas, NV, listen to Frank Scandura, Vinnie Lucido, Andy Bizub, Deb Van Batenburg, Greg Bunch, Jimmy Lea, Bill Nalu, Shari Pheasant, and Vic Tarasik all providing their wisdom and insights on shop tours. We had fun and you’ll learn about what these professionals value by taking and giving shop tours.

You not only need to get a shop tour but also give them and ask for feedback. Sometimes you do not see things that your peers will see. Take their ideas and give your feedback constructively.

This team believes that shop tours are a very important tool in your perpetual improvement strategy. Growing your business comes from the ideas of others. As Frank Scandura says do R & D …. Rip off and Duplicate. Learn from your network and from shop tours.

RR 376: The Undeniable Rise of Digital Vehicle Inspection (DVI)

The Indisputable Rise of Digital Vehicle Inspections (DVI)

The members of this roundtable are Chris Cloutier of Golden Rule Auto Care and Autotext.me, John Burkhauser of Bolt On Technology, and Pete Rudloff of Pete’s Garage and Flex Check Auto

The episode talks about the rise of Digital Vehicle Inspection and its importance like a smartphone to everyone. DVI is not yet the norm today but the future will require the service professional to have this tool. Since more customers want to be in control, DVI will increase the transparency with what is going on with their vehicle. DVI brings the vehicle in the bay to their home or office.

Learn how DVI will shape how business gets done.

THA 091: Workshop – Service Adviser Roleplay – Part 2

Service Adviser Role Play Part 2

Again this team digs deep to help aftermarket professionals learn more about the service advisor position. This is one of the most important and challenging jobs in the industry. The service adviser is the face of the business and is faced with building trust and strong relationships while generating profitable revenue.

Enjoy four different role plays and the ensuing discussion. Critique each role play yourself and enjoy the comments from this team. With me is Barry Barrett, Director of Training at RLO, Clint White, shop manager at Coopers Auto Repair Specialists in Tacoma, WA and John Vasquez, Service Adviser at Los Gators Auto Service Campbell, CA.

THA 089: Open Four, Five or Six Days a Week. You Decide.

Open Four, Five, Six Days a Week. Listen to the Debate.

The panel includes Tom Piippo Tri-County Motors, Rudyard, MI, Bill Nalu, Interstate Auto Care Madison Heights, MI, and Alan ‘Ollie’ Gelfand, from German Car Depot, Hollywood, FL.

Learn how each defines or defends their days open and outlines the challenges each has in hiring, serving and making money.

Tom is a four day a week shop, however, Bill and Alan have their thoughts on how to create a four day work week for their team and still be there to serve their customer’s busy lives. Each day of the week takes on a different personality such as Saturday’s helps feed Monday and Tuesday. And Saturday’s can be a big maintenance day.

THA 088: Everything I Did Wrong and What I Learned

Everything I Did Wrong and What I Learned

If you are a person who thinks you can do everything yourself, then you need to listen to this trio explain their knock upside the head ‘V8’ moments when they realized it was the worse thing they could have ever done. Learn about this panels school of hard knocks so you don’t spend too much time in the places they were and accelerate your business because you now have the proof of what to do to prevent your business from being stuck in neutral.

It is not what you don’t know it is also about what your people don’t know. We talk micromanaging, training, business models, KPI’s and empowering your people and yes they will make mistakes just like you did.

With me for this Academy is Bambi Crozier, Car Clinic in Lowell, AR, // Frank Scandura, from Franks European in Las Vegas, NV and Tom Lambert, from Shadetree Automotive, Layton, UT